I’m getting married in about a month and think I may have some of the most health-conscious, diet-savvy guest list on the planet. With Pure + Simple staff, dieticians, nutritionists, Naturopathic Doctors and most particular of them all: my mom, we gotta make sure the food we serve at all of our wedding events is uber clean.
So, I’m thankful to have found out that Sweets From The Earth do wedding cakes! This bakery makes delicious vegan desserts, and retails them in Whole Foods, Noah’s, The Big Carrot and a ton of other places. They are so meticulous that they even have two separate baking facilities (one specifically for gluten-free items!). Ben was a bit wary 
about the taste because he has had bad experiences with vegan birthday cakes ordered for me, but during our tasting at Sweets From The Earth, he was shoveling generous mouthfuls of dairy-free fudge cake into his happy little mouth. I, personally, was more worried about costs because I had been quoted prices up to $600 for a cake that serves 65 people – and since we’re having three wedding celebrations, I’m not prepared to spend $10 a slice. Ben keeps telling me to stop being a stinge because “its a once in a lifetime experience” (I’m ready to put a veil on him).
Luckily, company owner Ilana met up with us last Sunday and gave us some options tailored to our budget. She also let us preview their new chai cupcake, and it was so fantastic that we’re going to have it as one of our cake tier flavours. Did I mention they only use natural dyes for icing? The pale green icing on their nut-free chocolate mint cupcakes is made by pressing the pigment out of fresh mint leaves. Man, it’s my kinda place!
And, being at the bakery was a lovely experience – they even gave us some gluten-free brownies to take home (after my 20 minute monologue on how much I love them). When one of Ilana’s staff informed her they were having a “raspberry issue” I felt like we were in some wonderful cake land where problems were dusted with brown sugar.
So, if you are looking for a yummy but healthy cake for one of your special events, I highly recommend you check out Sweets From The Earth. I half expected an Oompa Loompa in hemp overalls to come out and sing me a song about the benefits of nut milks.
Kristen Ma is an esthetician and Ayurvedic practitioner who co-owns Pure + Simple Inc., an independent chain of holistic spas in Toronto. She has also authored the book Beauty: Pure + Simple. Check out her blog on natural, Ayurveda-inspired beauty at www.holisticvanity.com – or www.pureandsimple.ca for more info on organic beautycare and spa services.